Bradley Barcola scored his first senior hat-trick as Liverpool secured a commanding 6-3 victory over Austrian champions LASK in their Champions League group stage match on Tuesday in Linz. The 24-year-old French forward, who joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain over the summer for £106 million, netted all three goals within 44 minutes, marking a milestone in his career across 238 appearances for club and country.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola expressed satisfaction with Barcola’s performance, highlighting the winger’s consistent threat in one-on-one situations and his overall contribution to the team's attacking play. Iraola also praised midfielder Florian Wirtz, who had struggled to make an impact in previous outings but showed signs of improvement during the match. Both players played a key role in breaking down LASK’s defense.
Additional goals for Liverpool came from center-back Ronald Araujo, right-back Jeremie Frimpong, and midfielder Lewis Koumas, who scored his first Champions League goal in the contest. Araujo opened the scoring with a header in the 22nd minute, followed by Barcola’s first goal two minutes later. The French winger quickly added a second by the 37th minute, assisted by Wirtz, who demonstrated a more active presence than in recent games.
Jeremie Frimpong increased Liverpool’s lead to 4-0 shortly after halftime, followed by Barcola completing his hat-trick in the 66th minute. Koumas made it 6-1 before LASK staged a late comeback with goals from Robert Ljubicic and Florian Flecker, who scored twice to give the home side a respectable finish.
Iraola, who rested captain Virgil van Dijk—making it the first Champions League match in 39 games without the Dutch defender starting—fielded a largely youthful side following a disappointing 3-0 league defeat to Manchester City. The back four had not previously played together, and several young players earned notable playing time.
Despite conceding three goals, Iraola was pleased with the defensive performance overall, citing strong positional play and effective ball movement as key factors in securing the win. LASK, appearing in just their second Champions League match since 1985, struggled to challenge Liverpool's dominance throughout most of the game.
The victory marked Liverpool’s second consecutive win in the group stage, offering a respite after a difficult start to the season. However, questions remain about the consistency of their expensive summer signings Barcola and Wirtz, who have contributed minimally in previous matches. Former Liverpool players have publicly criticized Wirtz’s struggles in adapting to the team, underscoring the pressure on the pair to justify their transfer fees.
Liverpool will look to build on this performance as they prepare for a challenging Premier League fixture against Brentford on Saturday. The match against LASK provided a positive platform, but sustaining this form against stronger opposition will be crucial for the team’s ambitions this season.
The full-time score was LASK 3, Liverpool 6. Liverpool’s lineup featured Alisson; Frimpong, Araujo (substituted by Gomez 62), Jacquet (Van Dijk 62), Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Nyoni (Mac Allister 85), Ngumoha (Chambers 85); Wirtz, Barcola (Munoz 73), and Koumas. LASK’s team included Jungwirth; Jorgensen (Flecker 46), Mbuyamba, Alemao, Andrade; Dibango, Danek, Bogarde (Ljubicic 62); Schopf (Elfadli 71), Lang (Kane 82), and Adeniran (Kalajdzic 71).